Gef:
Three novels in and now your supernaturally enhanced version of
Scranton, New Jersey is facing a turf war between gangs with
supernatural abilities. While I'm not exactly expecting a cross
between Tony Soprano and Voldomort in this new novel, what kind of
approach did you want to take with regards to organized crime and
magic?

Justin:
Although magic is common in my
“alternate” universe, the gangs in Known
Devil involve magic only in the
broadest sense – their members are (almost) all vampires. As I
describe it, these were originally human Mafia “families” whose
members decided that virtual immortality sounded like a good idea.
Or maybe the Godfather of each family told the members, “Get
undead, or get lost.” Of course, immortality comes to a crashing
halt (literally) if some other “fangster” puts a silver bullet in
your brain.

Gef:
Despite the protestations of readers and writers alike who are sick
of vampires, they persist. Same with zombies. And I've even heard the
occasional grumblings about urban fantasy as a whole. What's your
take on the genre these days? Still thriving? Still pushing against
its boundaries? Or are things getting a little penned in by
expectations and orthodoxy?

Justin:
The urban fantasy market may have become
saturated (just as horror did in the 1980s). My agent, whose agency
represents a number of urban fantasy authors besides me, says that
they are not taking on any new urban fantasy writers these days,
unless something extraordinary comes along. Actually, I think part
of the marketing problem comes from a common conflation between urban
fantasy and paranormal romance. The two are similar in some ways,
since they both put supernatural elements into a modern setting. But
my definition of urban fantasy is “paranormal romance without all
the mush.” Needless to say, it is a definition not accepted by
everybody. I think the paranormal romance end of the continuum is
definitely over-saturated. But the people writing good-quality,
gritty urban fantasy you could count on two hands and still have a
few fingers left over.

Gef:
While I didn't see anything about involvement in law enforcement as I
glanced your bio, I did see something about you reaching the rank of
Lieutenant in the Army. Any chance of seeing a military UF novel to
complement your Quincey Morris and Occult Crimes Unit series?

Justin:
Military UF – interesting concept.
I’m familiar with military SF (although I’m not a fan,
personally), but military UF is something I haven’t encountered,
unless we count the vast literature that’s apparently based on
role-playing games, and maybe we should. Hmm… vampire armies
battling werewolves by the light of the full moon. Could be fun, but
it’s not for me. I only revisit my military days unwillingly –
in nightmares.

Gef:
Considering the hubbub about Governor Christie and the whole bridge
scandal, any chance another novel is in the works that offers a
political slant? I can just imagine the kind of havoc Christie's
staff could wreak with some magic on tap.

Justin:
I take it this means you’re rejecting
the “demonic possession” defense that has been raised by some of
the governor’s supporters. I think it’s worth considering,
myself. But in any case, I’ve already written a book which has the
relationship between politics and (black) magic as one of its major
themes. Sympathy for the Devil
is part of my other series, which features occult investigator
Quincey Morris (a descendant of the Texan who helped Van Helsing kill
Dracula) and his associate, “white” witch Libby Chastain. The
book is about a demonically-possessed presidential candidate – and
any resemblance to actual presidential candidates, either living,
dead, or undead, is coincidental and unintended. That’s my story,
and I’m sticking to it.

Gef:
Markowski lives in a world that feels like a well-balanced mashup of
urban fantasy and police procedural, two genres that seem remarkably
well suited for each other--at least in this case. Are there any
other genre mashups that you're a fan of?

Justin:
There’s one I stumbled upon recently
that I get an immense kick out of. It’s a genre that combines
crypto-zoology and, um, porn. One of my favorite titles (although I
haven’t read it) is Bigfoot Did Me
from Behind, and I Liked It.
Seriously – you can buy it on Amazon. I think this particular kind
of mashup is the future of genre fiction – and if it isn’t, it
should be.